1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a developer replenishing device to replenish a developer to a development device, an image forming apparatus, which includes the same, such as a printer, a facsimile machine, or a copier, and a developer replenishing method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a developer, also called a toner or a carrier, is supplied from a development device, and thereby an image forming apparatus forms a toner image on a latent image made on an image carrier. Since the developer is consumed with forming an image, a developer housing container (hereinafter, referred to as a housing container), which houses the developer, such as a toner bottle or a toner cartridge, is set to an image forming apparatus body, the developer is replenished from the housing container to the development device, and after the developer in the housing container being used runs out, the used housing container is replaced with a housing container which houses a new developer.
Regarding a developer replenishing device to replenish the developer to the development device used for the image forming apparatus, as shown in FIGS. 16A to 16C, there is one in which a conveying member such as a screw, an auger, a coil, and an agitator is provided in a housing container, the conveying member is driven and rotated from outside of the housing container, and thereby a developer is conveyed to a discharge outlet of the container, and one in which a spiral groove or protrusion is formed on an outer circumference of a tubular housing container, the housing container itself is rotated, and a developer is conveyed to a discharge outlet.
Regarding the housing container, there is one in a hard-bottle type, which maintains its shape also after using as a cartridge and a bottle, and a flexible one in a soft type, which can reduce a volume of the container. In a case of the hard-bottle type, there is a big problem in recycling of a used container with a replacement of the housing container. Although the used housing container is collected from users to manufacturers, and a reproduction, a recycle, or an incineration treatment is performed, a volume of the housing container of the hard-bottle type increases, and expensive logistics costs for recovery and transport of the housing container of the hard-bottle type from the users to the manufacturers are needed. Further, in a case where the developer is refilled in the recovered housing container to try reusing the housing container, there are difficulties in a cleaning operation of the recovered housing container and in toner-filling efficiency and expensive costs for reusing the housing container are also needed.
In a case of the soft type, a suction nozzle is inserted to the discharge outlet provided on the flexible housing container to provide air current, suction power is generated in a conveying device such as a powder pump, and the developer is sucked and replenished to the development device. In this case, the volume of the container is automatically reduced as the developer inside the container is reduced. In a case of the soft type, since there is no conveying member in the housing container, there is an advantage in that the housing container can be reduced in the volume when recovered. On the contrary, there is a problem in that it is difficult to make a horizontally-long powder container which is longer in a horizontal direction than in a vertical direction, can be installed parallel to a photoreceptor body and the development device, and has an advantage in downsizing of the entirety of the image forming apparatus. That is, in a case where the flexible housing container is placed in the horizontal direction, since there is no conveying member, the spiral groove is formed on the container, the container is rotated, and thereby a conveying action needs to be provided. However, if the container is rotated, since the container itself is twisted, it is difficult to stably convey the developer. Further, although it may be thought that the developer becomes broken when conveyed to the discharge outlet by its own weight, since an angle in which the gravity to move the developer is utilized sufficiently cannot be obtained, there is a problem in that the developer becomes cross-linked to each other, and the developer cannot be discharged and remains in the powder container.
Accordingly, since a previous flexible housing container is inclined toward the discharge outlet of the container, inclination thereof has a slightly larger angle than a rest angle of powder to be used. Generally, since the angle of inclination is 50 degrees or more, the housing container has to be installed so as to be long in the vertical direction in the image forming apparatus, and there are restrictions for a shape of the image forming apparatus and the volume of the container.
In Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication Number 2002-268346, there is disclosed a toner replenishing device which is a flexible toner housing container to house a developer such as a toner and a carrier used for an electrophotographic device inside, of which a horizontal lower surface is composed of a rigid body; and in which a reciprocating motion having different acceleration speeds in an approach path and a return path in an approximately horizontal direction on a horizontal plane connecting a central part of the container and the discharge outlet for the developer is provided to the housing container, and the toner inside is moved and discharged from the discharge outlet in series.
In Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication Number 2002-268346, a unidirectional linear motion is provided to the housing container and the toner held therein. In this manner, the unidirectional linear motion is provided to the housing container, and thereby it is possible for the toner to be fluidized. However, there is a problem in that a large vibration is necessary, agitation is insufficient, toner fluidization requires time, or in an opposite manner, blocking occurs by an action similar to tapping, and thereby the toner remains in the housing container. Further, although it may be thought that the housing container is placed in the vertical direction to be rotated, in this case, there is a problem in that the blocking of the developer may occur by action of the tapping, and thereby the toner remains in the housing container.